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Out of The Darkness comes Hot Leg and Stone Gods

Amid rampant rumors that Brit-rockers The Darkness will reform in 2009 with their original line up, lead singer/guitarist Justin Hawkins has announced the rise of a new Spinal Tap – inspired group, Hot Leg.

Hot Leg will unleash its brand of new-age classic rock on the world with its debut album, “Red Light Fever,” in January.

With his flawless falsetto, which he refers to as the “Truth Larynx,” Hawkins will lead the new band with help from guitarist Pete Rinaldi, bassist Samuel SJ Stokes and drummer Darby Todd.

On their MySpace, Hot Leg describes themselves as “an entirely hairier beast” than The Darkness, but the band’s powerhouse Queen and AC/DC infused ballads seem to pick up right where the latter band left off when it split in 2006.

If anyone is wondering what the hell happened to the other guys in The Darkness (cause I thought they’d totally dropped off the face of the planet!), they’re producing a more raw, southern-rock-style sound in their own band, Stone Gods.

Brother to Justin, guitarist Dan Hawkins, and The Darkness ex-bassist Richie Edwards, co-write the songs for Stone Gods, who released their debut “Silver Spoons and Broken Bones” in July.

The formation of two different bands seems to represent a clear parting-of-ways for the Hawkins brothers, but with the advent of Hot Leg in 2009, who will reign as kings of UK man-rock?

Who knows, but its nice to see that there’s still room in rock n’ roll for out-of-control hair, epic thrashing and a bit of comedic relief.